| Comments |
| Role In terms of party organization, personnel rights, official recognition, and political fund procurement and distribution, the secretary general of the Liberal-Democratic Party has more power than any other member of the Party. |
| Editor's Comments The current secretary general of the Liberal-Democratic Party is Mr.Kouichi Katou. He worked as a deputy chief cabinet secretary under Prime Minister Ohhira in 1978, and as the chief cabinet secretary in the Miyazawa Cabinet of 1992. Since then he has followed Mr.Ohhira, who is a master of practical politics. Mr. Katou became the director-general of the Defense Agency, the president of the Policy Research Council, and then the secretary general of the LPD in succession. He also formed a new group called "New Century" with Junichirou Koizumi(current Health and Welfare Minister) and Taku Yamasaki(current the president of the Policy Research Council of LDP). This group opposes the old-timers of the LPD and insists on reformation within the Liberal-Democratic Party. Mr. Katou was a core person in the negotiations that formed the coalition government made up of the Liberal-Democratic Party, the Social Democratic Party,and the new Party Sakigake. Combining the first letter of their family names, Mr.Yamazaki, Mr.Katou, and Mr.Koizumi are together referred to as "YKK". Recently, the name of the chairperson of the General Council, Mr.Yoshirou Mori has been added, and the four influencial politicians are referred to as "MYKK". |